EDITORIAL: Green energy hasn’t been saving Nevadans green

If someone keeps sending you in the wrong direction, it’s time to get a new navigator.

Nevada Conservation League, Climate Power, and Chispa Nevada recently hosted a roundtable on Southern Nevada temperatures. They are concerned about how hot it gets here. One climate nonprofit reports Las Vegas has warmed by 6 degrees since 1970.

“Participants drew a direct line between Washington’s retreat on climate policy and the danger facing Nevada families,” according to the conservation league.

But the heat doesn’t seem to be deterring new arrivals. In 1970, Clark County’s population was under 274,000. Today, it’s more than 2.4 million. Most of them live in the Las Vegas metro area. A nine-fold increase in population suggests that most residents — new or old — aren’t overly concerned with hot summer temperatures. They’re simply the norm.

Set aside the problem with comparing temperatures to a single year. Because the federal government owns 88 percent of Clark County, that population growth largely had to occur in one central location. The urban heat island phenomenon is real and likely explains the majority of any temperature increases over recent decades.

Given this, one might expect progressives to demand that Washington release more land for development. Or they could push to bring more water to the Western states. If Southern Nevada communities were more spaced out or had more water for grass, it could lower temperatures. Alas.

The event did raise one legitimate concern. “We are seeing a major strain on our electricity system at the individual and community level driven by extreme heat,” Assemblyman Howard Watts III said. “Energy bills are going up year after year.”

This is a valid concern. But consider who has helped drive up Nevada’s energy policy for the past 15 years. In 2013, green groups successfully pushed to phase out coal power. In 2019, then-Gov. Steve Sisolak signed a bill requiring 50 percent of Nevada’s power to come from renewable sources. In 2018 and 2020, voters approved a constitutional amendment that did the same. Supporters assured voters that this “would save Nevadans money.”

Today, however, even environmentalists complain about high power prices. That’s a condemnation of the system that they have successfully imposed on Nevada.

The problem is that solar plants require the sun, but power demand generally peaks in the evening. Perhaps batteries will one day provide affordable storage, but that day isn’t today.

A 2025 study by the Institute for Energy Research found that states with strict renewable mandates have significantly higher energy prices. (See: California.) It’s time for a new roadmap. Eliminate government mandates and let utilities such as NV Energy prioritize lower power prices.